Robotic surgery system including position sensors using fiber Bragg gratings

• US 9,526,583 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Larkin, David Q., Shafer, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, KYUNG J
• Application Number:
  US14/684,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/009 with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00057 Light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0477 with pre-tied sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2906 Multiple forceps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2048 using an accelerometer or inertia sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2061 using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2065 Tracking using image or pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3614 using optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 18/06 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/025 including optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1635 flexible-arm control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 : Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/28 : Joint
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 : Sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 : Optical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20305 : Robotic arm

Abstract

A surgical instrument is provided, including: at least one articulatable arm having a distal end, a proximal end, and at least one joint region disposed between the distal and proximal ends; an optical fiber bend sensor provided in the at least one joint region of the at least one articulatable arm; a detection system coupled to the optical fiber bend sensor, said detection system comprising a light source and a light detector for detecting light reflected by or transmitted through the optical fiber bend sensor to determine a position of at least one joint region of the at least one articulatable arm based on the detected light reflected by or transmitted through the optical fiber bend sensor; and a control system comprising a servo controller for effectuating movement of the arm.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a shape of a surgical instrument based on a reflectance spectrum from a first optical fiber sensor contained within an optical fiber, the first optical fiber sensor and the optical fiber being in the surgical instrument; and

passing illuminating light through the optical fiber and beyond a distal end of the optical fiber, the illuminating light being sufficient to illuminate a site at which the surgical instrument is used.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a temperature based on a reflectance spectrum from a second optical fiber sensor in the optical fiber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining a temperature further comprises:

determining the temperature in a rigid fixed position region in an elongate arm of the surgical instrument.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a shape further comprises:

determining a shift in a wavelength of light due to strain on the first optical fiber sensor from movement of a joint in an elongate arm of the surgical instrument.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first optical fiber sensor is included in a plurality of optical fiber sensors positioned in the joint.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining a temperature at the joint using the plurality of optical fiber sensors.

4. The method of 2, wherein the determining a temperature further comprises:

looking up a temperature in a pre-calculated look-up table corresponding to a detected signal from the second optical fiber sensor in the optical fiber.

8. A method comprising:

interrogating an optical fiber sensor contained within an optical fiber positioned in a surgical instrument to determine a shape of the surgical instrument, a temperature of the surgical instrument, or an axial force on the surgical instrument; and

passing illuminating light through the optical fiber and beyond a distal end of the optical fiber, the illuminating light being sufficient to illuminate a site at which the surgical instrument is used.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a surgical instrument;

an optical fiber positioned in an axial direction along the surgical instrument, wherein the optical fiber comprises an optical fiber sensor contained within the optical fiber;

an interrogator configured to interrogate the optical fiber sensor to determine a shape of the surgical instrument, a temperature of the surgical instrument, or an axial force on the surgical instrument; and

an illuminator configured to pass illuminating light into a proximal end of the optical fiber, through the optical fiber, and beyond a distal end of the optical fiber, the illuminating light being sufficient to illuminate a site at which the surgical instrument is used.